


Lighthouse

by thedrunkenwerewolf



Series: Heirverse: Phase 3 (Sanctuary) [15]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Declarations Of Love, Feelings, Fluff, Hugs, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Idiots in Love, M/M, Metaphors, albeit really subtle ones, except for the ending, story cross references, well as fluffy as the heirverse gets anyways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27945785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedrunkenwerewolf/pseuds/thedrunkenwerewolf
Summary: For Aizen, Gin has always been like a lighthouse, shining brightly, keeping him from becoming too lost at sea. And that has never been more obvious to him than when trapped in the confines of Central 46 after faking his death. A fluffier piece set in Heirverse late phase 3, set after my other piece Home. And probably several others. Can be read on its own.
Relationships: Aizen Sousuke/Ichimaru Gin
Series: Heirverse: Phase 3 (Sanctuary) [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1304057
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	Lighthouse

**Author's Note:**

> Business: I just own this fic and heirverse. Big shouts to Tinko_the_Wolf for the enthusiasm and enabling :) Go check out her fic, it's awesome and fluffy and you will not regret it.
> 
> a/n: Been a while, I know. Or at least it feels like it. (nobody tell me how long it's actually been since i updated the series shhh). Anyway 2020 is Officially a Year Of Garbage (boo!) so have some fluff. Now, I'm well aware that heirverse isn't the most wholesome or fluffy of series [and thats probably why it flies under the radar a lot], but I needed a nice recovery fic after NaNoWriMo and hitting 50k, and dealing with a lot of issues.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy. And as always feedback is nice and generally does mean more content :)
> 
> Notes: Heirverse phase 3. Set sometime after Home or later P3. Sweet syruppy waffles. No really this is about as fluffy as heirverse gets so make the most of it. Because it never really lasts for long.

" _Lighthouses don't get all wobbly when the weather gets rough; they just stand there shining. There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what its beacon light can rescue."_

_\- Thomas S. Monson_

**Lighthouse**

It was probably safe to say that Aizen Sousuke had been lost for a very long time. Lost in the darkness, lost to his own ambition, lost for friends and family. Lost in the sea of trees that made up his own thoughts.

Lost to the voice.

Not that he'd ever admit that out loud, though. He'd rather be caught dead. But alone, and behind closed doors, he'd admit he'd felt more adrift than he'd liked over the years.

Of course, many people had tried to change that over the years, with little success. Including himself in that number. They'd all tried, and they'd all failed. He was about to give up and call it quits – consider himself a lost cause – until he'd met Gin.

Gin, who's brought light and hope back into his world. Reminded him that in spite of everything, life was still worth living. That there was still some good in the world, no matter _what_ the voice in his head said. Even here, in the dark, grim confines of the Central 46. A place where the world was its Darkest and the voice in his head was its Loudest. Cracking thunder and flashing lightning over the stormy sea of his mind. Letting him see the Monster lurking just beneath the surface, ready to swallow him whole when he fell overboard. The great big Anglerfish that watched his every move. Even in the nightmares. The Fisherman. And his nightmarish Lure.

That was if the storm didn't smash him to pieces on the sharp rocks first.

But if he was a mariner lost at sea, caught in a vicious storm seemingly without end, then Gin was the lighthouse beaming its bright light over the sea. Guiding him back to shore and safe harbour. Keeping him from drifting even further out to sea and drowning beneath the waves. Or eaten by The Angler.

Because if not for Gin, he would've been devoured by it or drowned in those icy waters a long, long time ago.

A soft smile spread across his face as he thought of his Gin. Indeed a beautiful, brilliant light in his otherwise very dark world. He really didn't know what he'd do without him.

His gaze moved to the door – the only way in or out of this hole – waiting for Gin to arrive. It was almost time, and he could use some company tonight to soothe his already fraying nerves. If all went well tomorrow, they'd both be safe (if such a state ever existed) and away in Huecco Mundo, and one step closer to being free of the Monster within him. All they had to do was play their part, and hopefully it'd all be over soon.

He glanced at the clock Gin had brought in for him on a previous visit. It was about the time that Gin had said he'd appear. Later than their last meeting, but inconsistency would (hopefully) throw anyone following off the scent. He knew Gin was being careful anyway, but a little extra caution didn't hurt.

He watched the door and waited for Gin to arrive, ever hopeful they weren't discovered. The seconds ticked by slowly slowly as he sat waiting, but eventually the door opened, revealing Gin, and that briad cheeky smile he so loved.

"Hey," Gin greeted him, quickly entering and closing and sealing the door after him. "Miss me?"

"Always," Sousuke smiled. Gin coming over to sit down beside him, pulling him into a tight, warm hug.

"I missed you too," Gin told him, his voice just above a whisper. "How've you been?"

Aizen shrugged. "Same as usual. Nightmares, insomnia. The voice being a dick..." his voice slowly trailed off. "It's better when you're here, though," he added softy. "You make things more bearable."

Gin binked at him, a little surprised. Well, obviously he was surprised. He could count on his fingers the number of times he'd actually admitted out loud to Gin's face that he needed him.

But he had. He'd needed Gin for far longer than he'd even care to admit. And he needed Gin far more than he'd ever known he could need anybody. And thankfully, Gin hadn't ever shamed him for that. Only accepted him, flaws and all.

"Well, Gin smiled lazily. "Happy to be of assistance."

Sousuke smiled. "I can tell."

Gin's smile brightened at that, and his cheeks flushed that lovely shade of pink he liked. It was a sight Aizen knew he'd never grow tired of.

"So whatddya wanna talk 'bout?" Gin ventured. Never one to sit in silence for too long. "I cn tell ya 'bout me day or..."

"Tell me about your day," he replied.

Gin nodded and smiled. "Alrigh', but I gotta warn ya, s'pretty borin'."

"I'll take boring," Aizen told him. "Anything that reminds me of life outside will do."

Gin's smile softened. "Sure thing. I can do that. Whaddya wanna know 'bout?"

Aizen thought about it for a moment. "Start from when you woke up."

"Alrigh'," Gin said, and then began while he listened.

Gin had been right to warn him. It _was_ a rather boring day. Nothing to really write home about. Well, excluding the antics of their pet foxes Cherry and Tsuku, of course. But Gin told him about it anyway. Even going so far as to describe everything in great detail. From the colour of the sky above filled with cotton candy cloudy to the colours and shapes of the flowers in their garden. No detail was skimmed over. If he closed his eyes, Sousuke could picture he was there in the world above. Living a mundane, boring life he'd never take for granted again. Not after his time down here. Unfortunately a time that wasn't over yet, but it would be soon enough.

Until then, he'd close his eyes and dream of spring, and the time hopefully not too far in the future when he'd be able to feel the wind in his hair and the sun on his skin, and not be carrying the weight of the world or hearing the godawful voice in his head ever again. And just hearing Gin's voice right now gave him hope that future might come to pass.

"Hey. Hey!"

He snapped out of his thoughts, eyes still closed to hear Gin calling him repeatedly.

"You 'wake?"

"Just trying to get a picture," he explained.

"Well I hope it's a good picture cuz I'm real bad at explainin' stuff."

Sousuke opened his eyes a crack and smiled, opening his eyes fully to look at his lovely Gin. "Well, you're doing beautifully so far."

He was glad he'd opened his eyes, because Gin blushed that very pretty shade of pink he liked at the compliment. Making him chuckle.

"Ya know," Gin told him, folding his arms and trying to look serious. "Flattery won't get ya nowhere."

Sousuke pulled Gin close into an embrace and kissed his head softly. "Now, you know that's not true. It got me _you."_

" _Partly,"_ Gin admitted with a shy smile. "It were really the moments you were bein' yerself tha' won me over."

Gin returned the embrace and squeezed his partner, nuzzling close. Letting Sousuke digest his words for a quiet moment.

"Oh, that was all it took?" Sousuke asked, a soft smile still on his face.

"Yeh," Gin told him. "all it took was fer ya t'stop tryin' so hard t'impress me an jus' be yerself."

Sousuke thought about that. About all of their moments together over time, and found it all made sense. Unable to quite believe it, though the truth was right in front of him. "Do you really mean that?"

"Course," Gin answered, hugging him tighter. "S'what I fell in love with after all... Uh, hey, you doin' okay there? You've gone real quiet."

Sousuke swallowed the thick lump that'd formed in his throat at Gin's admission, finding all of his words had jammed in his throat and were refusing to come out.

_Oh, no, I'm fine. Definitely fine. I'm totally not choking up or having a lot of **feelings** about what you just said at all. Perfectly fine, me."_

"Sou?" Gin called softly to him, and he realised again he'd been silent for too long.

"I'm fine," he managed. "Just a little taken back by what you just said."

"Havin' a lotta feelin's?" Gin asked with a smile.

"Yes."

"S'okay. Yer allowed t'have feelin's." Gin told him. "S'how we know yer human."

Sousuke smiled. "I have my moments. Moments which you love me for, apparently."

Gin smiled broader at that. "Well, it's true," he told him. "I kinda wished ya'd jus' stopped tryin' so damn hard an' jus' relaxed a lil bit ages ago," he grinned. "But aint no time machines, so it is what it is. Jus' wish I'dve been brave enough ta tell ya a' th' time. It would've sped things up a bit."

"It certainly would've," Sousuke conceded. "But then like you said before, we wouldn't be who we are I wouldn't be me and you wouldn't be you. We'd be two completely different versions of ourselves. And you wouldn't be my Lighthouse keeping me from smashing to pieces against the rocks."

Gin loosened his embrace a little, but made no move to release him from it. "I wouldn' be yer lighthouse?" he asked, a little amused and curious both at once. "Tha's a new one. Wanna tell me wha' tha' means?"

Kyouka Suigetsu snickered in the back of his mind. _Ohhh, busted! You have to come clean now!_

Aizen sighed inwardly at her teasing, quietly telling her to _shut up_ before he turned his attention back to Gin.

"Just that you're the light that keeps me on course," he explained, slowly releasing Gin so he could look into those beautiful crimson eyes he so loved. Eyes that shone like rubies, even in this darkness.

"You keep me from drifting too far out to sea and getting lost in the icy waves in the dark." His voice softened as he paused for a moment. "You keep the voice quiet."

Gin stared at him, unsure of what to say. What did one even _say_ to that? The weight of the words seemed to press down on him. His partner rarely ever told him how he felt, preferring to show rather than tell. So for him to outright _say_ just how important he was.. well, it took a few moments to sink in.

"Oh," he said, when all other words had failed. "I keep the voice quiet?"

His lover smiled. Squeezed his hand. "Always have," he said softly. "Even in a place like this. _Especially_ in a place like this."

Gin smiled tenderly back at him, warmth from his Sun filling his entire body. "Well then," he said. "Guess I better keep on shinin' for ya."

Sousuke smiled ever so warmly, and pulled him into an embrace Gin instinctively returned. He heard his lover sigh softly, content in his arms.

"I love you, you know," Sousuke murmured, making Gin smile. Just as he always had.

"I know," Gin answered. "I love you, too. An' I'll keep bein' yer lighthouse til the very end."

Sousuke held him tighter, crushing him against his chest, letting him soak up all the light and warmth his Helios had to offer.

"Always?" Sousuke asked.

"Always," Gin echoed, squeezing him tight.


End file.
